Well, I finished the updates to my new telescope. It is an older Meade 12.5inch dob, and it needed some cleanup. I posted the before and after pics. You can tell from the after pics, why I named it the Jetstar! Can’t wait to test it out! I got a new eyepiece, filter and having the secondary mirror re-coated. Should be some good viewing. – Clear Skies!
Before:
After:
Sweeeetttt…..
If you read Matthew 2:9-12, it really blows by some amazing stuff, which considering the length of the Bible, makes you realize the awesome stuff that is in there, for its size.
1) First you have the wisemen following a moving heavenly object to where it finally comes to rest at a place such that they know exactly where to find the child. If you read Luke and the other gospels, you realize at this point he is not a newborn, but still a baby. It is an amazing picture in your mind to picture this, and more amazing to see it depicted as it says. Most amazing is that it really happened!
2) Now you have highly respected wisemen coming into your house, ‘overjoyed’ when they see your baby, and hitting the floor to worship him! I dont know about anyone else, but I would have had out the Louisville Slugger and been chasing these guys out and down the street! Weird stuff, but obviously, all part of God’s plan and the folks knew it.
3) Then…it’s like the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes at the Joseph residence! They pull out gold, perfume, incense…all real expensive stuff! All signifying something different about Jesus and who he is (see this clip I found online which explains it well):
Gold, which was the usual offering presented to a king by his subjects, represents his office as king (obviously). Frankincense, which was used in worship at the temple, represents both his divine nature and office as most high priest. Myrrh, which is one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil described in Exodus chapter 30 used to consecrate the things in the temple used to minister unto God, and was also used to anoint the dead, represents his role as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of man.
4) Then there was the warning in the dream to not go back to the King who TOLD them to do so. This must not have been any whimsical dream that one of ’em had, but a real clear dream that they all had conferred, and decided upon. They were risking their lives at this point disobeying, if I know anything about Kings…
So in a short few verses there are some really cool things! Take your time when reading the Bible and think about each verse! There is a reason its in there, and maybe the reason is that God has a specific message for you.
Have you ever tried to think of a hobby or past-time that you could do with your kids that would be fun? I was thinking about this about 2-3 years ago, and was trying to think of something that I have always wanted to try or do, since I was a kid.
What I did was get a nice telescope (a decent one goes for about $250+) and started looking at the night sky. It’s hard to get my kids out in the cold, and I only have time to do it every so often, due to viewing conditions or other things goin on. When I do though, it is really cool! Also, when I showed Saturn to my kids, and they could see the rings of the planet, for about the next year, my daughter every morning would point to stars and ask, “Dada, is that a planet?!!” It’s neat to be able to do something like this with my kids, and I enjoy it as well.
There a lot of things you can do, and any time spent with your kids is going to be a good time!
If you are interested in Astronomy. check out Astromart, which has some forums for beginners and also has classifieds where people sell stuff. There is a link to it here on my page. A good retail place is Orion, and is where I bought my 1st telescope.
Clear Skies!